The Rosie Project (Don Tillman #1)

by Graeme Simsion

We are genetically programmed to react to stimuli in our immediate vicinity. Responding to complex issues that we cannot perceive directly requires the application of reasoning, which is less powerful than instinct.

Take notice of your emotions as well as logic. Emotions have their own logic. And try to go with the flow.’

wanting to do something for me meant she was ultimately acting in her own interests,

I thought it highly unlikely that a twelve-year-old – even a female future psychology student – could correctly deduce an adult male’s unspoken thoughts. Sometimes it is better to be aware of one’s incompetence in these matters, as I am, than to have a false sense of expertise.

And it dawned on me that I had not designed the questionnaire to find a woman I could accept, but to find someone who might accept me.